Garlicky Remoulade

We have a Cajun restaurant near our house that makes a wonderful remoulade. The only problem is, you can't buy small amounts; you have to buy at least a pint at a time. When I decided to make crab cakes on New Year's Eve, I thought it would be a good idea to make my own remoulade, so that I would no longer have to waste so much (not to mention, it's much cheaper to make it at home!). I read a few recipes, then decided to give it a go. I ended up just piecemealing together a recipe of my own. Traditionally remoulade has celery in it, but I'm not a big fan. Below is my recipe~ the proportions are approximations, since I pretty much added and tasted my way through making it. I definitely suggest you doing the same~ this way you can control the flavors and add whatever you feel is lacking. I served this with crabcakes on New Year's, then used it to top burgers and as a dipping sauce for fries later in the week. YUM!

Makes about 6 generous servings

Ingredients:
1 cup of mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp. horseradish
1 tbsp. dijon mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne
2 cornichons (mini-dill pickles)
salt
black pepper

Assembly:
Blend all ingredients in a food processor and chill for at least an hour before serving.

*Check back soon for my crab cake recipe! It goes wonderfully with this remoulade!

Homemade Strawberry-Balsamic Sauce

This yummy sauce is delicious atop cheesecake, flourless chocolate cake, shortcakes and brownies to name a few. It also complements french toast, waffles and pancakes. For a fancier use, try filling homemade crepes (coming soon!) with this sauce and a smear of cream cheese for a tasty and impressive brunch dish. Sweet and fragrant, fresh strawberries are cooked down with sugar and balsamic vinegar until they are soft and delectable. You can make this sauce with fresh berries in the summer or frozen berries in the winter, and it can be stored in the freezer for easy use on another date.
Ingredients:
1 10 oz. bag of frozen whole strawberries or 1 large container of fresh strawberries, sliced
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
salt
1/4 cup slurry (1 part cornstarch, 1 part cold water, mixed)

Assembly:
Mix water and sugar in a pot over medium heat. Add berries, vinegar and salt, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered for 20-30 minutes until reduced by 1/3. Stir in slurry and raise heat to medium. Stir to desired thickness and remove from heat.

Technique Tuesday: The Slurry

Ever wonder how chefs make such delicious, thick sauces? The two most popular ways are through the use of a roux (coming soon to a Technique Tuesday post) or a slurry. A quick way to differentiate between a slurry and a roux is the appearance of the sauce. A roux will create an opaque sauce, whereas a slurry leaves sauces shiny. I typically use slurries to thicken sauces for asian dishes or when I make fruity dessert sauces.

The slurry is made by combining equal parts cold water/stock and cornstarch. This mixture is added to a sauce, which is then brought to a boil and reduced to a simmer. Slurries work fast; it only takes a few minutes at most to thicken a sauce using this method.

A few things to remember about using the slurry technique: 1) combine the water and cornstarch in a small bowl, NOT in the pan; 2) use cold water only; 3) do not overcook the sauce after adding the slurry or you may end up with a thinner sauce than you anticipated; and 4) make sure you completely combine the water and cornstarch before adding it to the pan.